


To Sink or Swim

by Sinsational_Sinnabon



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Gender-Neutral Pronouns, Not as angsty as the tags make it seem, Other, Suicide Attempt, gender neutral reader
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-17
Updated: 2016-10-17
Packaged: 2018-08-22 23:21:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,435
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8305199
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sinsational_Sinnabon/pseuds/Sinsational_Sinnabon
Summary: He couldn’t tell you why he took the long way back that night. Maybe it was something about how the stars twinkled mischievously in the darkening sky that tempted him into walking along the wooded path through the park. Maybe it was that he needed a chance to calm his nerves, strung tight as a bow, before he went home to his energetic brother. Maybe it wasn’t his choice at all.





	

**Author's Note:**

> The second writing prompt I was given as part of my 150 followers celebration!
> 
> Prompt by OtterationWorks on tumblr.
> 
> "Why are you taking my clothes?"
> 
> Made it Sans/Reader because that is my sinful pleasure. Although this one has no sin. In fact if one wanted, it could even be friendshippy instead of other shippy.
> 
> I really like this one tbh. <3 I hope you guys enjoy too!

He couldn’t tell you why he took the long way back that night. The summer air was muggy and sat upon the thick fabric of his coat like a heavy blanket. Work had been… tiring. This was a new job; he was being paid to act as a bouncer for one of the bars downtown. They assured him his short stature wouldn’t matter, as the whole “monster thing” would be more than enough to dissuade any shady characters. The hiring manager had actually used those words. It was more than clear what kind of work experience this was going to be. But the pay was amazing and come next weekend, he was dressed in the mandatory black shirt and slacks and standing guard. That was three weeks ago, and each shift had been progressively worse than the last. 

 

Tonight he had had to break up four fights, been spit on, dodged four spilled drinks (at least three he could tell were purposely thrust in his direction) and called a long list of both monster and skeleton specific slurs; over half of which he would’ve needed to cover Papyrus’s skull for if he were there. So for all intents and purposes, he should’ve been more than eager to slip between the layers of reality and shortcut home. 

 

Maybe it was something about how the stars twinkled mischievously in the darkening sky that tempted him into walking along the wooded path through the park. Maybe it was that he needed a chance to calm his nerves, strung tight as a bow, before he went home to his energetic brother. Maybe it wasn’t his choice at all. 

 

His black dress shoes picked up dirt as he scuffed along the path. He was alone aside from a three part choir of screaming cicadas somewhere just out of sight. A full moon sat low above the tree line and lit up his surroundings as bright as day despite his poor night vision. If not for that, he was certain that he would’ve missed you; walked right on by with no consequence.

 

Arms resting pensively on the rickety wooden railing of the bridge, you stared as if hypnotized into the quickly rushing water below. As he spotted you, his gait slowed until he too stood still and unmoving. It was way too late for any normal person to be out, especially in this section of the park which was usually left alone. It was overgrown and mostly hidden; it made good cover for monsters to walk home uninterrupted. In fact, he’d never seen a human come through here. He stared, transfixed, as your silhouette moved to drape itself further over the river. Did you not know that the bridge was old? Had you not realized that this time of year the river ran fast, swelled with surge waters from the summer storms? Were you too preoccupied to notice how far your body leaned out? Or did you-

 

_ Crack! _

 

Everything was still for a moment, and then the night exploded into turmoil. The wooden railing gave way and splintered into the dark waters below. You followed after, making a loud splash before you vanished immediately under the surface. Then, as if nothing had happened, it was quiet again. Sans hadn’t moved an inch. His eyes scanned the black surface of the river, pinprick eyes willing for you to breach the flow and reappear. 

Five seconds passed.

 

Then ten.

 

Fifteen. 

 

Sans wasn’t the biggest expert on humans, but he was pretty sure they couldn’t hold their breath for much longer than a couple minutes. Another piece of the railing split off and snapped him out of his stunned paralysis. There was a dull thump as he shrugged his jacket onto the dirt and ran towards the river. He kicked off his shoes as he went, not caring where they ended up as he launched himself into the river with a mighty leap. 

 

The freezing water hit him like a brick, stealing what breath he had managed to take before diving. The water, murky at best during the day, was at night black as pitch. He felt like he had just unwillingly entered the void with no mental preparation. But this wasn’t the void. He could feel the current pounding against his bones and dragging him easily to the river bottom. Panic momentarily overtook him before he made himself relax. Although his lack of flesh and fat made it impossible for him to float, he reminded himself that he wasn’t in any danger. He didn’t need oxygen, breathing was more out of habit than anything. A dark shape suddenly hurtled towards him, invisible until it was way too close. He barely had time to dodge the rock as it sped past an inch from his skull. 

 

Well, he wasn’t in danger of  _ drowning _ . 

 

It seemed that besides the humans’ quickly dwindling air supply, the rushing debris was another reason to hurry up and get back to shore. He felt his feet hit bottom, sinking a couple inches into the sticky silt. It seeped between the small bones of his feet and held fast, for a second holding him steady against the thrashing flow of the river. Yanking free, he started to search for you. The lights of his eyes were useless under here. Everything looked black, and if not for his feet on the river floor, he may have forgotten which way was up. 

 

His arms stretched out around him in an attempt to locate your body in the dingy water. He tried to recall the way you had stumbled; He was sure that you had fallen somewhere around here. Walking along the bottom of the river, he neared the center where the stream was fastest. 

 

There! His fingers brushed against something soft, very slightly warmer than the water around it. Instinctively, he gripped onto it tightly. From the way it fit in his palm, he guessed it was your forearm. Now that he was sure he had you, he reached deep inside his ribcage, calling to the magic that ran through his bones. The blue fire that lit his eye bit into the darkness, illuminating you in a ghostly light. You were still. Unconscious. Eyes closed, you were standing on the bottom of the river, caught like he had been in the murky bottom. With all of his weight, he leaned into the flow, hoping to dislodge you. Nothing. He was just too light. He tried getting under your body and pushing up, but that too was proving futile. He could lift you a ways, but his own non-buoyancy kept you from going any higher. The seconds almost audibly ticked by. A couple of air bubbles slipped past your slightly parted lips, taunting them as they raced towards the surface so far above their heads. He was running out of time!

 

He sought out your soul, hidden under layers of flesh that dulled its presence. Despite that, he could still feel it’s light easily. With a flick of the fingers of his free hand, he pushed his magic into it. He couldn’t see the change of color, but all of a sudden you were rising. Your body was surrounded by a faint blue glow as he turned gravity on it’s head and propelled you out of the water. He heard a faint noise as you broke the surface and for good measure, he made sure to toss you a little harder than necessary to ensure that you were clear on the bank. 

 

Now he was alone. Now that his goal was accomplished, the weight of the water seemed to rush in; smothering him. It was so dark. So close. In his haste, he had neglected to think about how he would get out of the water once he was in. He felt trapped, with no way to swim to the surface. There had to be a way… 

 

He kicked something.

 

It was long and rough, soaked through and heavy with the river water. Crouching down, he dragged his hands through the dirt and tried to identify the object. He hardly noticed how small splinters wedged their way into the natural pits and divots in his bones in his elation - this was it! The plank of wood; part of the bridge railing, was about half as big as he was. He gripped it painfully as he worked it free, afraid it would be whisked away in the current. As soon as it was out, he once again called forth his magic. Casting on something without a soul, and especially of this size, was marginally harder, but even the normally lazy Sans couldn’t afford to slack on this. As soon as he lit the plank with the tell tale glow, he could already feel his magic being seeped from his soul at an alarming rate. 

 

Could he even? He thought of Papyrus, who was likely wondering where he was by now.

 

It didn’t matter if it was possible. He had to do it. 

 

Holding on as tightly as he could, Sans switched the gravity. There was a sharp pain, a yank, and then he was free; rocketing up and past the surface of the river. He landed hard on the bank, getting the metaphorical breath knocked out of him for the second time that night. He gave himself a moment to collect himself before rolling over onto his side and using wobbly arms to prop himself up. It sounded like the river was still rushing through his skull. 

 

Oh wait. Water poured from his eye sockets and nasal cavity and hit the dirt. Sans was sure he looked like some sort of grisly fountain decoration. He blinked away the last of the droplets and looked around for you. 

 

There you were. His sockets narrowed. You didn’t seem to be awake, or breathing at all from what he could tell in the moonlight. Shit. With trouble, he crawled over to where you lay and propped your head in his lap. Your skin was clammy and freezing. He bent over so his skull hovered inches from your mouth, and a chill that had nothing to do with the water ran down his spine as he felt nothing. You weren’t breathing! His soul thumped erratically as he tried to wrack his brain for something,  _ anything _ that would help. 

 

A memory flashed by; Papyrus was rambling about the shows he had watched while Sans was at work. He had tuned most of it out, but in his moment of need, his brothers words came back clear as day. Today had featured the medical channel. 

 

“ _ And in this episode, this one human was choking on a bit of food they tried to swallow - I’m not sure why they just didn’t use monster food, as that would dissolve straight away instead of remaining in the human’s air passage, but no matter! Anyway, their face kind of looked like yours when you get embarrased! I suppose such a predicament  _ would  _ be rather embarrassing. I thought the medical human was supposed to be nice, but then he went and started beating up the human! He held them from behind and started hitting their stomach. I guess the surprise of the attack helped the choking human recover though, because a minute later they seemed alright. -” _

 

He was certain that Papyrus’s recollection of the details may be a bit off base, but it was all he had to go on. He shuffled you so that your upper half was pressed against his ribcage, facing out, and his hands wrapped around your waist to fist into the flesh of your belly. 

 

‘*  _ please _ work.’

 

With all the strength he could muster, he drove his hands upward and back towards his spine. 

 

You stayed limp. 

 

He tried again.

 

He thought he felt you move.

 

Again!

 

You jolted in his grasp, lurching forward to puke up lungfuls of water. Coughs racked your body as you struggled to breathe. Once you got all the water out of your system, you stayed on all fours, just staring blankly at the ground. Something told him that the way your body had begun to shiver violently was another bad sign. The moonlight painted your skin, but he was still sure that you looked paler than you should. The freezing water was sending you into shock. Goddammit. Flesh and blood were more trouble than they were worth. He approached you again, his own cold phalanges gripping the wrist closest to him. 

 

Only then did you notice your rescuer. Your eyes widened comically and you tried to launch yourself away from the harrowing figure only to be held fast in his grip. Your trembling got worse.

 

“P-please don’t kill me! I d-don’t want to die!”

 

You spoke through clattering teeth. He noticed his own bones were rattling slightly as well, less from the cold than from the exhaustion that was quickly overcoming him. Sans pulled at you again, confused at your reaction. He’d just saved you - he was still trying to help you. Why in the hell would he be here to kill you?

 

You tried once more to resist, but failed. The next yank had you tumbling weakly against him. He tried to speak, but his words came out moreso as a gravelly croak instead of his laid back inflection. 

 

“* you need to warm up. come here.”

 

This, at least, was something he knew how to help with. Being made of magic, his bones constantly thrummed with a steady heat. It was a trick he’d used often with Papyrus when he was a babybones, whenever the younger skeleton was sick. Sans was sure he’d learned it from somewhere, but exactly where, or from whom - escaped him. Trembling fingers tried to struggle with buttons. They kept slipping out of his grasp, and you were still putting up a weak, but distracting fight. Fine. He gripped his collar and tugged. The buttons went flying, shirt ripping open to reveal the milk white bones of his ribcage. 

 

“W-w-what are you doing??” 

 

You redoubled your efforts as his attentions went to your clothes next. You felt him messing with your top, trying to yank it over your head as you squirmed. Eventually, he succeeded, throwing the garment on the ground with a plop. He went for your bottoms next, which luckily for him lacked pesky buttons of any kind.

 

“Why are y-you taking my clothes?!”

 

His eyelights shrunk in frustration. Was it bad of him to wish you were still unconscious for this? You were a lot less wiggly then.

 

“* stop moving! you’re going to freeze if you keep these on!”

 

Task completed, he grabbed you around your waist with his other hand and pulled you flush against him. You were about to start kicking and screaming, but paused. A soothing heat made its way under your bare skin and into your bones. You finally realized just how much you were trembling, and how your jaw wouldn’t stop jittering. Your shoulders slumped and all the fight ran out of you. Content to lay against your rescuers ribcage, you focused on the warmth he was sending into you in his proximity. The adrenaline left your body suddenly. You were so tired. Your eyelids drooped. Maybe just… a small nap…

 

A hard hand papped your cheek. 

 

“* no sleeping!”

 

Your eyes shot open, and you found yourself properly looking at the man who’d saved you for the first time. Well… monster. The face that stared back of you was bone white, and not because he was pale or anything. Bone white as in it was made of literal bone. Deep eye sockets, empty save for two dots of light, stared back at you. He looked like he was smiling, but an underlying tension in his jaw let you know that it was just a natural feature of his face. The two of you paused like that for a second, just taking each other in. He spoke again before you worked up the nerve.

 

“* gee. that’s a sentence i never thought would come outta my mouth.”

 

That snapped you out of it. Now that you were no longer on the brink of death, your mind started reeling with the position you were currently in with this stranger; a monster no less. You tried to pull back, but Sans’ arm sat like an iron bar against your back.

 

“* nu-uh. not until you stop shivering. i didn’t almost dust myself for you to keel over from the cold.”

 

Your hands gripped harder onto his chest. Which, as a skeleton, meant that they slipped right between his ribs. The interior of his chest cavity tingled against your fingertips, as if you were getting a weak electrical shock. He tensed beneath you, but tried to keep a casual composure. Realizing just how… invasive that was, you released them again. You still hadn’t spoken, and were beginning to feel somewhat foolish for thinking that this man had meant you any harm.

 

“T-thank you. You pulled me out of the river, right?” You tried to look him in the eye, but found yourself not quite able to do it. The blackness of his sockets reminded you of the pitch water, and his luminescent eyes were intense and seemed to look right through you. Instead, you settled on his collarbone. 

 

You felt him nod as he shifted, propping himself up so that you were more upright.

 

“* yeah.” He admitted gruffly. “* ‘was walkin home from work and saw you fall. although it almost looked like you were gonna… before…” he shook his skull, sending a few drops of water onto your face.

 

“* nevermind. you’re safe now.”

 

You felt your face heat up. He knew. You  _ had _ come to jump that night, but had cowered out at the last second. Unfortunately, you hadn’t counted on the railing breaking loose. You were thankful that he was going to let it slide. As nice as the warmth was, you had stopped shivering, and now you were for all intents and purposes just lying against his bare chest… ribs for no reason. Seeming to notice this as well, he loosened his grip and allowed you to pull back. 

 

You sat back on your haunches and tried your best to cover yourself. Eye lights flickered away from your form, doing their best to respect what small bit of privacy you had left. 

 

“* sorry about your clothes…” He mumbled awkwardly, palms scraping the vertebrae of his neck.

 

You shrugged, unsure of how to respond. “Sorry for assuming you were the Grim Reaper and that you were trying to kill me and shit.” 

 

He huffed, trying to hold back what you thought was a laugh. Your reaction from before made a lot more sense now. “* is that what that was about? if i had a gold coin for every time i’ve heard  _ that _ one…” He made to stand before staggering, face contorting in pain.

 

“* dammit!” Kneeling again, he looked closely at his feet. He was so focused on saving the human that he hadn’t noticed the pain radiating from his left foot all the way up his fibula. Now that he was aware of it - it hit hard. The collection of small bones, held together by invisible magic, were clean and unbroken. Which would be great and all - if all of them were accounted for. At the outside of his foot, where his little toe would usually be, was nothing more than a gap. You had come over at this point, concerned, and voiced what he was slowly coming to realize.

 

“Monster skeletons… are still supposed to have  _ ten _ toes right?” They sounded faint. 

 

“* yeah…” Sans responded, a bit dazed himself. He must have lost it when he pulled free from the river bottom. He could feel his magic buzz uncomfortably, trying to hold onto a bone that no longer existed. There was no way he was ever getting that back. 

 

“* that is…  _ toe- _ tally uncool.” As per custom, Sans dealt with shock the only way he knew how. Humor. You looked at him like he had just grown a second head.

 

“Did you just? Was that?” You looked like you were trying not to smile, given the circumstances. 

 

He grit his teeth and stood again, this time successfully. The bone wouldn’t grow back, but after a few days his magic would realize that he had no intention of reattaching it and stop sounding its alarm. You stood too, legs a bit shaky but stable. The two of you looked a sight. Him: drenched head to toe (of which there were nine) in nice dress clothes, bare ribs shining in the moonlight. You: totally naked aside from your underwear, also soaked. 

 

“I guess… I’ll head home now?” It was more of a question than a statement, with the look in Sans eyes giving you a clear answer. You barely got the sentence out before he was shaking his head, grin tugging into what counted as a frown for him. 

 

“* no way. you’re staying with my bro and i tonight. i’m not jumpin’ into any more rivers.”

 

Ah, so you were on suicide watch. It was probably for the best, although any nerve you may have gathered before your leap was rapidly quashed by the experience of actually almost drowning. Air had never tasted so sweet. Besides that, how could you dare try anything after this guy freakin lost a toe for you?

 

“I… I think I’m done with that kind of thing…” You cast your eyes at the ground abashedly. “But I don’t want to be alone right now either.”

 

His eyes softened, lights dilating as they glanced your way. He limped over to the dirt path and picked up a lump of something you couldn’t quite make out. As he got closer, you recognized it as a thick winter jacket, white fur lining the hood. He draped it around your shoulders and stepped back. Thankful for the cover, you pulled it closed around your naked form. 

 

He held out a hand, as if asking you to take it. You stared at it before slipping your fingers between his proffered bony ones. He shot you a weak grin.

 

“* i hope you understand why i’d rather not walk the rest of the way. hold tight.”

 

You blinked, arctic cold hitting your skin, and then you were standing outside of a cheery yellow two story house. Sans humorously noted that you were making a pretty good impression of a fish, but writ off the joke as bad taste after the night's events. 

 

“* teleportation.” He explained briefly, knocking on the door a couple times. “* pretty handy huh?” 

 

The door opened before you could respond, and you found yourself standing eye to chest with a tall skeleton in a hot pink crop top.

 

“SANS! You’re home late! I was worried sick and you weren’t answering your calls and-”

 

He seemed to notice the state his brother was in, as well as the fact that he’d brought home a guest in a similar drenched state. The anger dropped from his face and he pulled you into the house. His previously loud voice dropped to a normal volume.

 

“What.. what happened?” He took in the sight of his sibling, large hands gentle but thorough as he gave him a once over. Eye sockets widened as he came across the missing appendage. 

 

“You’re hurt!” The tall skeleton finally acknowledged you, a confused but concerned look gracing his skeletal features. “Did someone do this to the both of you? Do I need to go talk someone out of a life of bad choices?” His words seemed innocent enough, but you could detect a hint of malice behind them. Sans slumped suddenly against his brother’s chest, who caught him easily. 

 

“* kid here fell into the river in the park. guess i got sidetracked fishin em out. sorry papyrus, didn’t mean to make ya worry.” The shorter brother slurred into the fuzzy pink shirt. Papyrus, as you guessed his name was, reached out and gathered you into his other arm, leading you further into the house. You could smell a delightful mix of garlic and spices emanated from the room you were headed. 

 

“I’ve just made dinner. I am more than certain there is enough for the three of us!” You were seated at the small square dining table; your knees gave no resistance as they buckled into the chair. Sans was treated in a similar fashion, head immediately dropping to the table. You caught a glimpse as he went; he looked exhausted, pain still pinching at his features. He’d done well to hide it while his brother was looking, but his injury was still obviously hurting him a lot.

 

Papyrus gave you “A Look” over his brothers skull. He’d noticed. “I’ll go get you some dry clothes and when I get back we can all eat. I am happy that you are unharmed human.” He flashed you a big smile and trampled off upstairs. 

 

It was quiet for a moment before Sans stirred, dragging his skull across the table until he was staring at you. You hadn’t known him for more than an hour, but still, it was strange to see him so grim. He looked like he would be a happy kind of guy. You ran your fingers through your straggly hair. Were you going to go there?

 

“I think we got off on the wrong  _ foot _ . I’m ______.”

 

You offered a soggy hand for him to shake. A few seconds passed, enough that you started worrying that you’d gone too far. Maybe that was something only he could joke about.

 

A bedraggled hand stretched across the table, palm out. His toothy smile was weary, but present. He gripped your hand tightly and let your clasped fingers rest in the center of the table. 

 

“* sans. sans the skeleton. how bout next time you just  _ talus  _ you want to come over for dinner? no swimming required.”

 

You chuckled, not quite willing to release his hand quite yet. 

 

Less than an hour ago, you had been on the edge of death, six feet under in the most literal sense. You had wanted to be.

 

Now, you were wet, and cold, and absolutely drained. You were sitting in a complete stranger's kitchen, wearing almost nothing but their jacket. Every muscle in your body screamed, strained and sore and bruised.

 

And as you looked into the eyes of the monster sitting across from you, and felt the warmth of his strong grip in your own, you realized. 

 

You were the happiest you had been in a 

 

Long

 

_ Long _

 

Time.

  
  
  
  



End file.
